The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1887-04-23
4 GREAT ENTERPRISE.

Ina conversation 10 day with General
Rice the president of the New Orleans
Natchez 4 Fort Scott railroad, we
| learn this enterprise in which Fort
Scott citizens feel so much interest, is
TT ii splendid condition and the people
! all along the line are enthusiastic in
| their Efforts in its behalf. The general
was just returned from a two weeks
| trip to Arkansas where he secured the
rjght-of-way through Grand avenue in
the city of Hot Springs, a very impor'
tant franchise, and the guarantee Of n
cash subsidy Of $4,000 in addition. In
Concordia Parish La, an election will
be held in few days, to vote five
mill tax Tor ten years, the proceeds 10
be given to his road, every other par
ish and town through which the road
passes or touches have already voted
this tax. General Rice estimates that
the subsidies, franchises and other
privileges, now secured between Hot
Springs and Natchez, Mississippi, will
amount to over one and half mil.
lions Of dollars, and three quarters OF a
million more arc promised. While the
president Of this fine road is not in tn"
habit of "buiiding castles in the air'
for the nero pleasure Of feeling them
tumble over, he is very sanguine that
Concordia Parish will vote the tax AZ
promised, and that the company Will
begin work in the early part OF the
coming fall, AS they have agreed to do
ii this tax is voted.
The foregoing conversation leads tho
Monitor into a train of reflection Upon
the immense advantages OF this line to
Kansas, and particularly to Fort Scott.
When completed this road will be one
of the few longitudinal fines of intcr>
communication in the west, ana rs il
is one of the immutabie laws OF coth>
merce That trade always follows mo-
ridians Of longitude, in preference TO
parallels of latitude, and it becomes a
sequence that such route will hes
come, in the immediate future the
greatest avenue Of traffic connecting
the northwest with the great, new
South. 1t will furnish a meaDs OF OK
change for all the products of Kahsas,
used, and necessary for the mainteh>
auce of the people of that grand coan>
try, for we have everything they wan,
and buy, and for the return of lumber
and se.ni-tropical products demanded
by the people 70 Kansas and the Great
northwest. 1t will also directly Con-
tribute to the welfare and profit OF our
farmers in saving to them, the cost Of
six hundred miles Of transportation,
for which they now pay. New Or.
leans stands in the same position TO us
that New York does to Ohio, Ipdiana.
Michigan and other central States. 1t
is the natural gateway through which
our surplus products must pass TO reach
the seaboard. 1t is six hundred niles
nearer to us than New York, and
when through routes such as Gehersl
Rice is now projecting are built, the
surplus stores of Kansas will find their
great outlet that way, to saving of
six hundred miles of freight tarif to
the farmers. The importance OF this
Interstate route cannot be Over>esti.
mated, aud when we consider the Con-
ncciions made at Fort Scott, with the
Kansas, Nebraska K Dakota extension
10 tho northwest, although the two
enterprises are entirely separate and
distinct, we begin to realize something
Of its magnitude and magnificent adj
vantagcs Fort SEAT Nlouiioi.